Further delays for roadworks

WEATHER ADDS MORE OBSTACLES TO SCHEME

Reporter THE re-opening of a busy Newcastle commuter route could be pushed back for a second time in the wake of the recent bad weather.

A major project to revamp Killingworth Road in South Gosforth was due to be completed in March, but was delayed by up to 12 weeks when underground asbestos was found.

Now Newcastle City Council has confirmed that an assessment is currently being carried out on the “likelihood of delays” to the gas works – but a timescale remains unclear.

Once the Northern Gas Networks project has been completed the road can be re-opened and the council can start the road widening section.

This is scheduled to last until December but with traffic measures the road can be kept open.

The road was closed on July 20 last year so the Metro bridge above could be replaced and the road widened for an extended pavement, bus lane and cycle lane.

The work being carried out at the moment involves Northern Gas Networks creating a series of bypass pipes to re-route the gas whilst they excavate and install new pipes.

The new temporary connector pipes are above the ground and need to be secured away from the public, meaning the road can only re-open when all the pipe works are complete and buried underground.

Andy Coyne, project manager for Northern Gas Networks, said: “Moving three major gas pipes, whilst keeping the gas supplies running to the 35,000 homes and businesses they feed, was made all the more difficult by the discovery of asbestos which had to be safely removed, as well as diverting a water main.

“These unavoidable issues have had an impact on our project timeline, so we are working closely with the city council to see how we can recover lost time on the project and keep the delay to a minimum. We apologise for any inconvenience this delay has caused but would like to assure residents and businesses that we are working as safely and quickly as possible.”

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “Essential gas works are currently taking place on Killingworth Road as part of our multi-million pound investment.

“This is a hugely complex engineering task and the recent bad weather and adverse ground conditions has added further difficulties for NGN. They are currently assessing the likelihood of delays on their programme. Once this is confirmed, we will release further details.”